From the looks of it, I doubt those pink tiles are from the 1950's. My guess would be your bath was renovated in the 1980's.

In any event, good luck & success with your renovation!

The worst thing about it is the light fixture :-) Hope you love the result!

Ha, that is a fan above the tub.... We are replacing it with the exact same one!!!!!!

Are the walls really as high as they appear to be? I'd love to have high ceilings. Keep us updated if you can. Lots of people like to follow along. Good luck!

I have to laugh hockey fan, my electrician took one look at our fan choice and said something like: " are you kidding me???!" We are going eith one I think you might approve if. The whisper silent from Panasonic that is almost flush to the ceiling and apparently very quiet.
Now, the Home Depot marble tiles are going in. Our niches will seem goofy to all of you, but based on this being our only bathroom for four of us and all our hair products.... We did double niches. We could not put them at opposite ends due to plumbing issues and codes. Do I sound defensive? I also wanted outlets in specific spots, but Massachusetts codes and not so creative thinkers ruled me out. This picture is from today's marble installation. I like these guys. I know they will make it look good. Grout is going to be sanded "alabaster" . Vanity ( custom to fit around radiator) is in, but covered up. Countertop was templates today and will be Lyra silestone. ( yes, yes, I know, it is not the best colour, but it is a remnant and I have a budget. I just excited I could find it in a remnant. So, that is your update.

I like your niches and the tile will be stunning!

Can't wait to see it when it's done! Looks great so far! I can't believe anyone would think your niche is goofy. I am doing one huge niche in mine: 40x14!

THESE WERE INSTALLED TODAY. (Sorry about the caps) Should I grout my basket weave in a dark color? Can you recommend a Home Depot grout color? Also, these mosaics were installed today. Can I clean them this weekend and seal them myself BEFORE the installer grouts them on Monday? Any recommendations on sealers for marble? Thanks.

Niches are shaping up! I really wanted to do herringbone but had this idea to do basket weave and went with it.

Looks gorgeous! Just a small request...is there anyway you can post the photos right side up? Except for the first one they are all sideways....and oh...my stiff neck! LOL

As for the grout question, have you got some spare tiles that you could put on a small sample board and experiment with different grout colours? I think dark will give a much different look than white...totally up to you as to which look you prefer.

And, yes, as far as I know, you want to seal the marble tiles before grouting. At least that's what I did.

Love the marble tiles you've used in the tub alcove!

Raehelen, so sorry about the sore neck! The photos are oddly all upright on my end of the internet.
Ok, so this weekend I will lightly clean the tiles and seal them. Can you tell me which sealer you used? Some people have complained about the sealer changing the color of the tiles. Thanks!

I used the Miracle 511 Impregnator Sealer. It has been recommended by many. It is for natural stone, tile, slate, ceramic, grout, and masonry surfaces. Do a sample testing. You need to allow 24 to 72 hours to fully cure. It can be used as a grout release as well. Either way if you are sealing before you grout, keep it out of the joints. Allow 6-12 hours before grouting.

I took all that info straight from the label. I used it on my marble backsplash without any difficulty or problems with the product. I used it on my slate floor as well. I got it at Lowes or HD I believe.

On another thread StoneTech mentions:

"I would use Du Pont's Stonetech Sealer and Enhancer for everything."

Stone tech did mention that but I kind of thought he/she might be biased. Can you tell me what you mean by " grout release?" I think due to time constraints, I will have to seal after grouting. If I do seal before the grouting on Monday, you mentioned I should keep sealer out of "joints". I assume that joints include all the sides of the tiles. So, I should put sealer on a cloth and only touch the surface areas. While it "cures" can other people ( workers) step on it? Sorry for so many questions, I just had a large mocha.

Have your tilers already sealed the stone? They may have.

The bottle of Miracle 511 that I have said you only need "...at least 6-12 hours before grouting".

Grout release is a type of product that helps keep the grout out of the pours, I believe, and help with the cleanup process. I am a DIY tiler. I tiled my kitchen backsplash with marble 2x4s. I cut the mesh backing off and laid the stone the way I wanted. It was a cheaper product and the spacing was not perfect on the mesh. When I finished with the tile, I did what you suggested in your comment above, used a rag and applied the sealer over the face of the stone, not letting it run into the grout spaces, where it might interfere with grout adhesion. I followed the instructions. I then grouted. I had no troubles with the cementous grout that I used.

On my slate floor, I used epoxy grout. Again, I sealed my stone, then grouted with epoxy. I really don't know if it helps with clean up with epoxy because epoxy grout is a different animal when compared to cementous grout.

Be aware that an "enhancer" type sealer will darken your stone. Can look nice but if you want the look you've got don't use an "enhancer".

I am almost positive that my stone fabricator used Miracle 511 impregnator sealer on my carrara counter that I just had installed a few months ago.

Am I the only one seeing these sideways? I know sometimes when photos are uploaded from an Ipad or Iphone that they look OK at the sender's end, but are upside down or sideways at our end.

Anyhow, I used Aqua mix penetrating sealer for one of my marble backsplashes because I DIDN'T want the colour on my honed marble to change. For my most recent BR I DID want it to change so I used an enhancing sealer. Have no idea which brand as my tiling supplier just poured some in a container for me.
1st pic is with thinset cleaned off, but no sealer, no grout.

2nd pic is sealed and grouted, the colour change made my mosaic match the colour of my limestone look porcelain tile.

It may not look like a huge deal/difference in the photos, but in real life, I loved how the enhancer changed the look of the tile.

Yes the pics are sideways for me too :)

Everything looks great and I love your floor! I used double niches in my tub/shower also (but vertical) and like the way they look. More storage is always better!

Countertop (silestone Lyra)and cabinet ( custom country Kraft) are in!

Grout and paint done.

Countertop.

The new bathroom looks great.

As an aside, at this point, I think the wall tiles were neither 1950s nor 1980s, but original 1920s. Variegated glazed tiles and pink were both part of 1920s bath design. Some manufacturers (like Crane) called this color "Orchid"

The floor is probably 1980s.

Thank you all for your help. Yes, the wall tiles were original. Under the floor was another set of pink tiles mosaics that matched perfectly. Orchid was our entire house. Even the kitchen! Here is the finish product. I did it my way.

Cabinet will be very useful, as will wall niche.